Apparatus for dispensing individual plastic fasteners from fastener stock

ABSTRACT

An apparatus ( 11 ) for dispensing individual plastic fasteners from fastener stock ( 13 ), includes a housing ( 27 ) and a hollow slotted needle ( 173 ) mounted onto said housing ( 27 ). An indexing wheel ( 95 ) is rotatably disposed within the housing ( 27 ) and advances a fastener to the rear end of the needle ( 173 ). A rocker ( 177 ) is slidably disposed within the housing and serves to move the cross-bar of the fastener in parallel with the needle bore. A plunger ( 179 ) is disposed within the housing ( 27 ) and is capable of being slidably displaced by a trigger assembly. An ejector rod ( 181 ) is fixedly mounted onto the plunger ( 179 ) and serves to push the cross-bar of the fastener out of the front of the needle ( 173 ). An indexing slide ( 137 ) separate from the rocker ( 177 ) is slidably disposed within the housing ( 27 ) and serves to rotatably advance the indexing wheel ( 95 ) after the ejector rod ( 181 ) pushes the cross-bar of the fastener out the front end of the needle ( 173 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing individualplastic fasteners from fastener stock.

Plastic fasteners of the type having a cross-bar at one end, a paddle atthe other end and a thin filament or cross-link connecting the two endsare well known in the art and are widely used in commerce to attachlabels, price tags or other items to articles in a manner whichminimizes the risk of inadvertent detachment therefrom. Typically, suchplastic fasteners are manufactured in the form of a supply of fastenerstock, the fastener stock being produced by molding or stamping fromflexible plastic materials, such as nylon, polyethylene, andpolypropylene.

In one well known type of fastener stock, the cross bar end of eachfastener is connected to a runner bar to form a clip of fasteners. Inanother known type of fastener stock, often referred to simply as ladderstock, a pair of elongated side members are interconnected by aplurality of cross links or filaments. One of the side members is shapedto define a plurality of cross bars which are joined together by shortseverable connectors, the connectors being defined by indentations ornotches formed along the side member. The other side member is shaped todefine either a plurality of paddles or cross bars which are similarlyjoined together by short severable connectors.

The dispensing of individual fasteners from fastener stock is oftenaccomplished with an apparatus commonly referred to as a tagger gun.Typically, a tagger gun is a hand held trigger operated device which isconstructed to accept fastener stock. Tagger guns usually include amechanism for feeding the cross bar end of a fastener into a hollowneedle at the front end of the gun and a mechanism for pushing the crossbar end of the fastener that has been fed into the hollow needle outthrough the tip of the hollow needle. Some tagger guns are manuallyoperated while other tagger guns are powered by an electric motor or apneumatic device.

Tagger guns have been developed and are in use with both of the abovedescribed types of fastener stock.

For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,123 to D. B. Russell, which isincorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed an apparatus fordispensing fasteners which is manufactured and sold by AVERY DENNISONCORPORATION® of Pasadena, Calif. as the SYSTEM 1000® SWIFTACHER® Tool.The apparatus can be used to store, feed and dispense fastener stock ofthe type which includes a plurality of connected fasteners, eachfastener comprising a flexible filament and a transversely disposedendear at one end, end-bars of adjacent fasteners being joinedend-to-end by severable connectors at a portion of their peripheries.The apparatus comprises a hollow casing and a dispensing needle mountedto the casing, the needle having a longitudinal bore for slidablyreceiving the end-bar and a slot communicating with the longitudinalbore slidably receiving the filament. The apparatus also comprises meansfor advancing a fastener from a first position remote from the needlebore to a second position adjacent the rear end of the bore with theend-bar transversely disposed to the longitudinal axis of the bore,means for aligning the end-bar with the bore and means for dispensingthe end-bar through the bore.

Although well known and widely used in commerce, tagger guns of the typedescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,017 to D. B. Russell suffer from a fewnotable drawbacks.

As a first drawback, tagger guns of the type described in U.S. Pat. No.4,288,017 to R. B. Russell include a single, spring activated slidewhich can cause jamming in the tagger gun upon partial compression ofthe trigger, which is highly undesirable. Specifically, the single,spring activated slide assists in both aligning the end-bar of a firstfastener from the fastener stock into parallel alignment within thelongitudinal axis of the needle and indexing a second successivefastener from the fastener stock so that its end-bar is positioned atthe rear end of the needle at an angle with respect to the longitudinalaxis of the needle. As a result, it has been found that, if the userfails to fully compress the tagger gun trigger, the slide will index thesecond fastener at the rear end of the needle before the first fasteneris fully ejected from the hollow needle. Because the second fastenerwill be aligned within the hollow needle before completion the forwardejection stroke, a partial compression of the tagger gun trigger willresult in both the first and second fasteners disposed within the hollowneedle at the same time, thereby creating a serious risk of jamming,which is highly undesirable.

As a second drawback, tagger guns of the type described in U.S. Pat. No.4,288,017 have a relatively large number of different components, manyof which are spring loaded. Accordingly, it has been found that suchtagger guns are relatively expensive, time-consuming and difficult tomanufacture, which is highly undesirable.

As a third drawback, tagger guns of the type described in U.S. Pat. No.4,288,017 utilize a fairly complicated process for advancing thefastener to the rear of the needle, rotating the end-bar of the fastenerinto alignment within the needle and ejecting the end-bar through theneedle, thereby creating a rough and difficult trigger stroke, which ishighly undesirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improvedapparatus for dispensing individual plastic fasteners from fastenerstock.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus ofthe type described above which is less susceptible to jamming.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide anapparatus of the type described above which has a limited number ofparts and which is inexpensive to manufacture.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide anapparatus of the type described above which has a relatively smoothtrigger stroke and a lower trigger activation force.

Accordingly, as one feature of the present invention, there is providedan apparatus for dispensing individual plastic fasteners from fastenerstock, each fastener comprising a flexible filament and a transverselydisposed cross-bar at one end, cross-bars of adjacent fasteners beingjoined end-to-end by severable connectors at a portion of theirperipheries, said apparatus comprising a housing, a needle mounted ontosaid housing, said needle comprising a front end, a rear end and alongitudinal bore, an indexing wheel rotatably disposed within saidhousing, said indexing wheel rotatably advancing a fastener from thefastener stock to a first position at the rear end of said needle inwhich the cross-bar of the fastener is disposed at an angle relative tothe bore, a rocker disposed within said housing for moving the cross-barof the fastener from the first position to a second position at the rearend of said needle in which the cross-bar of the fastener is disposed inparallel with the bore, an ejector rod disposed within said housing forpushing the cross-bar of the fastener from the second position, throughthe bore and out the front end of said needle, and an indexing slidedisposed within said housing for rotatably advancing said indexingwheel, said indexing slide being separate from said rocker.

As another feature of the present invention, there is provided anapparatus for dispensing individual plastic fasteners from fastenerstock, each fastener comprising a flexible filament and a transverselydisposed cross-bar at one end, cross-bars of adjacent fasteners beingjoined end-to-end by severable connectors, said apparatus comprising ahousing, a needle mounted onto said housing, said needle comprising afront end, a rear end and a longitudinal bore, an indexing wheelrotatably disposed within said housing, said indexing wheel rotatablyadvancing a fastener from the fastener stock to a first position at therear end of said needle in which the cross-bar of the fastener isdisposed at an angle relative to the bore, said indexing wheelcomprising a top surface, a bottom surface, a plurality of index pinsformed onto the top surface and a handle formed onto the top surface,the bottom surface being shaped to include a plurality of grooves, adetent disposed into said housing, said detent comprising a tip which issized and shaped to selectively engage the plurality of grooves formedin said indexing wheel, a rocker disposed within said housing for movingthe cross-bar of the fastener from the first position to a secondposition at the rear end of said needle in which the cross-bar of thefastener is disposed in parallel with the bore, an ejector rod disposedwithin said housing for pushing the cross-bar of the fastener from thesecond position, through the bore and out the front end of said needle,and an indexing slide disposed within said housing for rotatablyadvancing said indexing wheel.

Various other features and advantages will appear from the descriptionto follow. In the description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings which form a part thereof, and in which is shown by way ofillustration, a specific embodiment for practicing the invention. Thisembodiment will be described in sufficient detail to enable thoseskilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understoodthat other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes maybe made without departing from the scope of the invention. The followingdetailed description is therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense,and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like parts:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an apparatus constructedaccording to the teachings of the present invention for dispensingindividual plastic fasteners from fastener stock;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a prior art supply of fastener stock which canbe used in conjunction with the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the housing of the apparatusshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a right side view of the left side piece of the housing shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a left side view of the right side piece of the housing shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view of the right sidepiece of the housing shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view of the left sidepiece of the housing shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary, section, perspective view of thehousing shown in FIG. 2, taken along lines 9—9;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged, exploded, perspective view of the indexingassembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged, bottom perspective view of the indexing wheelshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged, bottom perspective view of the detent shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view of the left sidepiece of the housing shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged, fragmentary, section, perspective view of theleft side piece of the housing shown in FIG. 13, taken along lines14—14, the left side piece of the housing being shown with the detent,compression spring and insert mounted thereon;

FIG. 15 is an exploded, perspective view of the ejection assembly shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged, perspective view, broken away in part, of therocket shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged, perspective view of the rocker shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged, perspective view of the plunger shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 19(a)-(f) are fragmentary, right side views of the apparatus shownin FIG. 1 at various stages during the process for aligning anindividual plastic fastener into the needle, the apparatus being shownwith the indexing assembly, nose insert and right side piece of thehousing removed;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged perspective view of the trigger assembly shown inFIG. 1; and

FIGS. 21(a)-(i) are fragmentary, right side views of the apparatus shownin FIG. 1 at various stages during the process for dispensing anindividual plastic fastener from a supply fastener stock, the apparatusbeing shown with the right side piece of the housing and the triggercompression spring removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown an apparatus constructedaccording to the teachings of the present invention for dispensingindividual plastic fasteners from fastener stock, the apparatus beingidentified generally by reference numeral 11.

Apparatus 11, also referred to herein as a tagger gun, can be used inconjunction with conventional rolls of fastener stock to attach labels,price tags or other items to articles of commerce using individualplastic fasteners. For example, tagger gun 11 can be used in conjunctionwith a supply of fastener stock 13 of the type described in U.S. Pat.No. 4,456,123 to Russell.

Specifically, referring now to FIG. 3, prior art supply of fastenerstock 13 is constructed of a plastic material, such as nylon,polyethylene or polypropylene, and comprises a plurality of individualfasteners 15. Each fastener 15 comprises a first end 17 which is shapedto define a paddle or cross-bar, a second end 19 which is shaped todefine a cross-bar, or T-bar, and a thin filament 21 which interconnectsfirst end 17 to second end 19. First end 17 of successive fasteners 15are joined together by severable connectors 23. Similarly, second end 19of successive fasteners 15 are joined together by severable connectors25. Fasteners 15 are disposed in a side-by-side relationship, therebyenabling supply of fastener stock 13 to be manufactured through aprocess of continuous molding. Typically, supply of fastener stock 13 iswound into a roll upon completion of manufacturing.

Tagger gun 11 comprises a housing 27, an indexing assembly 29 forindexing a desired fastener 15 from roll of fastener stock 13 withinhousing 27 for subsequent ejection, an ejection assembly 31 fordispensing the desired fastener 15 and a trigger assembly 33 coupled toejection assembly 31.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-6, housing 27 is in the shape of a hollow gunand includes a front end 35, a rear end 37, a handle 41, an innersurface 43 and an outer surface 45. Housing 27 is preferably constructedof a rigid and durable material such as polycarbonate.

Housing 27 includes a left side piece 47 having a top surface 39 and aright side piece 49 having a top surface 40, left side piece 47 andright side piece 49 being affixed together by a plurality of screws 51.It should be noted that left side piece 47 and right side piece 49 arenot limited to being affixed together by screws 51. Rather, it is beunderstood that left side piece 47 and right side piece 49 may be joinedtogether by alternative means, such as through a snap-fit, sonicwelding, gluing, riveting or the like, without departing from the spiritof the present invention.

Housing 27 also includes an attachment 53 for holding a roll of fastenerstock. Attachment 53 for holding supply of fastener stock 13 includes agenerally circular, vertical extension 55 which is integrally formedonto left side piece 47. A sidewall 57 is integrally formed onto andextends perpendicularly out from the majority of the outer periphery ofvertical extension 55. A generally cylindrical projecting rod 59 isintegrally formed onto and projects perpendicularly out from theapproximate midpoint of vertical extension 55. Projecting rod 59includes an elongated channel 61 formed along its length and a pluralityof ratchet teeth 63 disposed within channel 61.

A cover 65 is sized and shaped to be slidably and lockably mounted ontoprojecting rod 59 to secure supply of fastener stock 13 onto attachment53. Cover 65 comprises a circular end panel 67 which is preferablytransparent to enable the user to monitor the supply of fastener stock13. A sidewall 71 is integrally formed onto and extends perpendicularlyout from the majority of the outer periphery of end panel 67. A centralboss 73 is integrally formed onto end panel 67, boss 73 defining anopening 75 therewithin which is sized and shaped to receive projectingrod 59. A pivotally mounted locking pawl 77 is disposed to project intoopening 75 and is adapted to releasably engage ratchet teeth 63 formedon projecting rod 59. It should be noted that locking pawl 77 is of asufficient length to enable a user to easily disengage locking pawl 77from ratchet teeth 63 by hand in order to remove cover 65 fromprojecting rod 59.

As can be appreciated, attachment 53 is constructed to hold a supply ofspirally wound fastener stock 13. Specifically, supply of spirally woundfastener stock 13 may be secured onto projecting rod 59 and slid againstvertical extension 55 with supply of fastener stock 13 entirely disposedwithin circular sidewall 57. With supply of fastener stock 13 mountedonto projecting rod 59 in this manner, cover 65 is slidably mounted ontoprojecting rod 59 and is advanced towards vertical extension 55. Ascover 65 is advanced towards vertical extension 55, pawl 77 engagesratchet teeth 63 so as to prevent cover 65 from inadvertently being slidaway from vertical extension 55. As such, extension 55 and cover 65sandwich supply of fastener stock 13 therebetween, thereby securingfastener stock 13 onto attachment 53.

A narrow fastener passageway 78 is formed into right side piece 49 ofhousing 27, as shown in FIG. 7. Fastener passageway 78 includes an entryend 78-1 formed into top surface 40 and an exit end 78-2 formed directlybeneath top surface 40. Similarly, a narrow fastener passageway 79 isformed beneath top surface 39 of left side piece 47 of housing 27, asshown in FIG. 8. Accordingly, with left side piece 47 and right sidepiece 49 affixed together, passageway 78 and passageway 79 togetherdefine a fastener track 80 which is sized and shaped to receive thesupply of fastener stock 13, as shown in FIG. 9.

It should be noted that track 80 includes a cross-bar portion 80-1 whichis sized and shaped to securely retain second end 19 of fasteners 15therewithin, thereby preventing the supply of fastener stock 13 frombeing inadvertently removed from apparatus 11, which is highlydesirable. In this manner, track 80 serves to guide the supply offastener stock 13 from attachment 53 and into indexing assembly 29. Atthat point, the user can manually operate indexing assembly 29, as willbe described further in detail below, in order to advance the supply offastener stock 13 down into ejection assembly 31.

A rear rocker stop 81 is integrally formed onto left side piece 47 ofhousing 27 and extends perpendicularly out from left side piece 47towards right side piece 49. Rear rocker stop 81 is shaped to include aslot 83 and serves as an abutment surface for limiting rearwarddisplacement of ejection assembly 31 during use, as will be describedfurther in detail below.

A forward rocker stop 85 is integrally formed into housing 27 andextends perpendicularly between left side piece 47 and right side piece49. Forward rocker stop 85 serves as an abutment surface for limitingforward displacement of ejection assembly 31 during use, as will bedescribed further in detail below.

An intermediate rocker stop 87 is integrally formed onto left side piece47. Intermediate rocket stop 87 extends horizontally beneath innersurface 43 of top surface 39 of left side piece 47 so as to form ahorizontal bottom surface 89 and a vertical front edge 91. Intermediaterocker stop 87 serves as an abutment surface for limiting rearwarddisplacement of ejection assembly 31 during use, as will be describedfurther in detail below.

A trigger stop 93 is integrally formed onto handle 41 of housing 27 andserves to limit the outward displacement of trigger assembly 33, as willbe described further in detail below.

Referring now to FIG. 10, indexing assembly 29 serves to index a desiredfastener 15 from fastener stock 13 into proper alignment within housing27 for subsequent ejection. Specifically, indexing assembly 29 is incommunication with fastener track 80 and serves to feed individualfasteners 15 from attachment 53 down to ejection assembly 31 forsubsequent ejection.

Indexing assembly 29 comprises an indexing wheel 95 which is rotatablymounted onto left side piece 47 of housing 27 proximate front end 35.

Indexing wheel 95 comprises a generally circular disk 97 having a topsurface 99, a bottom surface 101 and a central opening 102 formedtherein. Indexing wheel 95 is mounted onto an indexing wheel post 103which is integrally formed onto left side piece 47 of housing 27, post103 comprising a longitudinal central bore 104. Specifically, indexingwheel 95 is mounted onto left side piece 47 of housing 27 so thatindexing wheel post 103 projects through central opening 102 in indexingwheel 95. Indexing wheel 95 is secured onto indexing wheel post 103 byan indexing wheel screw 105 which is disposed through central opening102 and down into threaded engagement with a threaded insert 106 whichis disposed within bore 104 of post 103.

It should be noted that right side piece 49 of housing 27 is shaped toinclude a cut-out portion 107 proximate front end 35, cut-out portion107 being sized and shaped to render the majority of indexing wheel 95uncovered by right side piece 49 when tagger gun 11 is in its assembledform, as shown in FIG. 2. As a result, in the case that an individualplastic fastener 15 becomes jammed within indexing assembly 29, the usercan unscrew screw 105, remove indexing wheel 95, and manually discardjammed fastener 15 without separating left side piece 47 from right sidepiece 49, which is highly desirable.

A plurality of notches 109 are formed along the outer periphery of disk97, each notch 109 being sized and shaped to receive filament 21 of afastener 15. Plurality of notches 109 are spaced about the outerperiphery of disk 97 equal to the spacing between successive fastenerfilaments 21 in fastener stock 13.

A plurality of index pins 111 are formed onto top surface 99 of disk 97along its outer periphery. As will be described further in detail below,plurality of pins 111 are generally circular in lateral cross-sectionand are spaced about disk 97 equal to the spacing between successivefastener filaments 21 in fastener stock 13.

Each pin 111 comprises an substantially flat top surface 113. Topsurface 113 is angled so as to form a front wall 115 which lies nearlyflush with top surface 99 and a rear wall 117. Rear wall 117 extendsperpendicularly out from top surface 99 and serves as an engagementsurface, as will be described further in detail below.

A handle 119 is integrally formed onto top surface 99 of disk 97. Handle119 is generally cylindrical and has a roughened exterior surface 121 tofacilitate grasping handle 119 during manual rotation of indexing wheel95.

A plurality of V-shaped grooves 123 are formed into bottom surface 101of disk 97 and are sized and shaped to be selectively engaged by aspring biased detent 124.

Specifically, referring to FIGS. 10 and 12-14, detent 124 comprises agenerally rectangular body, or block, 125 which includes a longitudinal,elongated bore 126, bore 126 being sized and shaped to receive acompression spring 127. Detent 124 also comprises a V-shaped tip 128which is integrally formed onto body 125. Detent 124 further comprises apivotable catch arm 129 which is integrally formed onto body 125, catcharm 129 including a finger 130.

As can be appreciated, detent 124 is sized and shaped to snap-fit into adetent receptacle 131 which is formed in left side piece 47 proximateindexing wheel post 103, as shown in FIG. 13. Specifically, detent 124can be snap-fit into detent receptacle 131 so that finger 130 isdisposed beneath an undercut 133 formed in left side piece 47, as shownin FIG. 14, thereby preventing detent 124 from inadvertently falling outof detent receptacle 131. With detent 124 disposed within detentreceptacle 131 as such, compression spring 127 enables detent 124 tomove vertically within receptacle 131, as represented by arrows A inFIG. 14.

As can be appreciated, with detent 124 positioned within detentreceptacle 131 so that tip 128 projects away from left side piece 47,indexing wheel 95 is mounted onto left side piece 47 over detent 124. Inthis manner, detent 124 is capable of being inwardly displaced asindexing wheel 95 rotates. However, with detent 124 aligned directlybeneath a groove 123 in disk 95, once indexing wheel 95 terminatesrotation, spring 127 biases detent 124 outward so that tip 128 projectsinto a groove 123, thereby locking indexing wheel 95 in a fixed positionuntil further rotation, which is highly desirable.

It should be noted that the particular construction of detent 124 andindexing wheel 95 as well as the placement of detent 124 beneathindexing wheel 95 provides three principal advantages.

As a first advantage, the ability to snap-fit detent 124 within detentreceptacle 131 considerably facilitates the assembly of apparatus 11,which is highly desirable.

As a second advantage, the ability to retain detent 124 withinreceptacle 131 through the use of finger 130 and undercut 133considerably facilitates assembly of apparatus 11. Specifically, thelocking arrangement between finger 130 and undercut 133 serves to lockdetent 124 in place within left side piece 47 during assembly, which ishighly desirable.

As a third advantage, the particular engagement between detent 124 andindexing wheel 95 is significant in that indexing wheel 95 is capable ofrotation in either direction, thereby facilitating the elimination of ajamming condition within apparatus 11, which is highly desirable.Specifically, the particular engagement between detent 124 and indexingwheel 95 enables indexing wheel 95 to be manually rotated in thecounterclockwise direction to remove loaded fasteners.

Referring now to FIG. 10, indexing slide 137 functions to selectivelyengage posts 111 so as to rotate indexing wheel 95 in a clockwisedirection. Indexing slide 137 comprises an elongated arm 139 having atop surface 141, a bottom surface 143, a front surface 145, a backsurface 147, a first end 149 and a second end 151.

A ratchet tooth 153 is integrally formed onto back surface 147 of arm139 at first end 149. Ratchet tooth 153 includes a sliding surface 155which is angled, or ramped, away from first end 149 of arm 139. Ratchettooth 153 also includes an engagement surface 157 which is substantiallyflat and extends generally perpendicularly away from back surface 147 ofarm 139.

A tab 159 is integrally formed onto bottom surface 143 of arm 139between first end 149 and second end 151, tab 159 extendingperpendicularly away from bottom surface 143. Tab 159 is generallyrectangular and includes a forward edge 161 and a rearward edge 163.

An upper guide wall 165 is integrally formed onto top surface 141 of arm139 and extends perpendicularly away from front surface 145. Similarly,a lower guide wall 167 is integrally formed onto bottom surface 143 ofarm 139 and extends perpendicularly away from front surface 145. Upperguide wall 165 and lower guide wall 167 both extend from second end 151of arm 139 to forward edge 161 of tab 159.

It should be noted that upper guide wall 165 and lower guide wall 167are spaced apart. As a result, an elongated slide projection 169 whichis integrally formed onto inner surface 43 of right side piece 49protrudes between upper guide wall 165 and lower guide wall 167 whentagger gun 11 is in its assembled form, thereby limiting indexing slide137 to horizontal displacement only, which is highly desirable. Itshould also be noted that indexing slide 137 is sized and shaped so thatsecond end 151 lies within slot 83 formed in rear rocker stop 81 whentagger gun 11 is in its assembled form, thereby further limitingindexing slide 137 to horizontal displacement only.

As will be described further below, indexing assembly 29 functions inthe following manner. The free end of supply of fastener stock 13 is fedfrom attachment 53, through track 80 and down onto the outer peripheryof indexing wheel 95. Each notch 109 formed into the outer periphery ofindexing wheel 95 is sized and shaped to receive a fastener filament 21.Rotation of indexing wheel 95 advances fasteners 15 in an arcuate pathabout wheel 95 and disposes the lowermost fastener 15 to a positionadjacent the rear end of a forwardly projecting needle in ejectionassembly 31. As can be appreciated, an arcuate T-bar passageway 171 isformed onto inner surface 43 of left side piece 47 around indexing wheelpost 103, passageway 171 being in communication with track 80.Accordingly, as indexing wheel 95 rotates, second end 19 of fasteners 15arcuately travel along passageway 171.

Indexing wheel 95 is rotated in the clockwise direction by indexingslide 137, detent 124 temporarily locking indexing wheel 95 in placeafter rotation. Preferably, indexing slide 137 rotates indexing wheel 95clockwise one position. It should be noted that horizontal displacementof indexing slide 137 rotates indexing wheel 95. Specifically, forwarddisplacement of indexing slide 137 enables angled sliding surface 155 oftooth 153 to ride up and over angled top surface 113 of the lowermostindex pin 111 on indexing wheel 95. With tooth 153 of indexing slide 137disposed in front of the lowermost indexing pin 111, subsequent rearwarddisplacement of indexing slide 137 causes engagement surface 157 oftooth 153 to contact engagement surface 117 of the lowermost pin 111 androtate indexing wheel 95 clockwise one position so that the nextfastener 15 in supply of fastener stock 13 is fed into position withsecond end 19 disposed at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis ofthe needle bore for subsequent ejection, as will be described further indetail below.

Referring now to FIGS. 9-11, ejection assembly 31 for dispensingfastener 15 comprises a needle 173, a needle lock 175, a rocker 177, aplunger 179, an ejector rod 181 and a nose insert 183.

Hollow slotted needle 173 is slidably disposed within a cylindricalneedle receiving opening 174 formed in front 35 of housing 27. Hollowneedle 173 includes a rear end 187 which is covered by a needle casing189 and a forward end 191 in the form of a sharpened tip 193. Needle 173includes an elongated bore 195 which is sized and shaped to receive theT-bar shaped second end 19 of a fastener 15. Needle 173 also includes aslot 197 in communication with bore 195, slot 197 being sized and shapedto enable a portion of the fastener filament 21 to slide therethrough.

Needle lock 175 is slidably mounted into front 35 of housing 27 andserves to lockably secure needle 173 within needle receiving opening 174in housing 27. Specifically, rotation of needle lock 175 in onedirection causes needle lock 175 to engage needle casing 189 so as tolockably secure needle 173 within housing 27. In addition, rotation ofneedle lock 175 in the opposite direction causes needle lock 175 todisengage needle casing 189, thereby enabling needle 173 to be removedfrom housing 27.

Referring now to FIGS. 15-17, rocker 177 comprises an elongated body 207which includes a top wall 209, a rear wall 211, a left side wall 213, aright side wall 215, and an angled front wall 217. Elongated body 207 ishollowed out so as to form an elongated plunger receiving cavity 219therein. A foot 221 having a front surface 223 and a rear surface 225 isintegrally formed onto and extends down from rear wall 211.

A rocker stop, or pawl, 227 is formed into elongated body 207 and ispivotally connected to top wall 209 proximate rear wall 211 about arocker stop arm 229. Rocker stop arm 229 is biased such that rocker stop227 resiliently lies slightly above top wall 209. However, rocker stoparm 229 is capable of being pivoted downward such that rocker stop 227lies flush with top wall 209.

A flat platform 231 is integrally formed onto angled front wall 217 andextends forward at an angle substantially in parallel with top wall 209.Platform 231 is generally rectangular and includes a top surface 233, afront edge 235, a rear edge 237, a left side edge 239, and a right sideedge 241.

A blade 243 is integrally formed onto angled front wall 217 and topsurface 209 of platform 231. Blade 243 includes a top edge 245 and afront edge 247 and extends forward from angled front wall 217 to adistance slightly in front of front edge 235 of platform 231.

An ejector rod slot 249 is formed in body 207 at the junction of topwall 209 and angled front wall 217, slot 249 being formed directly aboveblade 243. Ejector rod slot 249 is sized and shaped to enable ejectorrod 181 to be disposed therethrough, as shown in FIG. 15.

Left sidewall 213 is shaped to include an outwardly projecting,elongated guide projection 251. Similarly, right sidewall 215 is shapedto include an outwardly projecting, elongated guide projection 253. Ascan be appreciated, with tagger gun 11 properly assembled, guideprojection 251 is sized and shaped to project into an upper guidechannel 252 formed in left side piece 47, guide projection 253 is sizedand shaped to project into an upper guide channel 254 formed in rightside piece 49, left edge 239 of platform 231 is sized and shaped toproject into a lower guide channel 256 formed in left side piece 47 andright edge 241 of platform 231 is sized and shaped to project into alower guide channel 257 formed in right side piece 49, thereby limitingrocker 177 to horizontal displacement within housing 29, which is highlydesirable.

Referring now to FIGS. 15 and 18, plunger 179 has a generally U-shapedconfiguration and comprises a flat top wall 259 and a pair of spacedapart sidewalls 261 and 263 which extend down perpendicularly from topwall 259. As will be described further in detail below, plunger 179 issized and shaped to be horizontally displaced within elongated plungerreceiving cavity 219 in rocker 177.

Sidewall 261 is shaped to include an outwardly protruding flange 265.Similarly, sidewall 263 is shaped to include an outwardly protrudingflange 267. As can be appreciated, with tagger gun 11 properlyassembled, flange 265 is sized and shaped to project into lower guidechannel 256 formed in left side piece 47 and flange 267 is sized andshaped to project into lower guide channel 257 formed in right sidepiece 49, thereby limiting plunger 179 to horizontal displacement withinhousing 27, which is highly desirable.

Top wall 259 of plunger 179 is shaped to include a shallow ejector rodslot 269 which is sized and shaped to receive ejector rod 181, as willbe described further in detail below.

Each of sidewalls 261 and 263 include an opening 271. As will bedescribed further in detail below, trigger assembly 33 is pivotallyconnected to plunger 179 about a dowel pin 273 which is sized and shapedto be fittingly disposed through openings 271. As such, dowel pin 273serves as a pivot point about which trigger assembly 33 pivots relativeto plunger 179.

Ejector rod 181 is an elongated cylindrical member which comprises afirst end 275 and a second end 277. Ejector rod 181 is sized and shapedso that first end 275 can be releasably secured into an opening (notshown) formed in plunger 179 within ejector rod slot 269. With first end275 mounted onto plunger 179, ejector rod 181 lies horizontally withinslot 269. Second end 277 of ejector rod 181 extends horizontally forwardfrom plunger 179, protrudes through slot 249 formed in rocker 177 andlies on top edge 245 of blade 243, thereby ensuring that ejector rod 181is horizontally disposed, which is highly desirable.

Nose insert 183 is disposed between left side piece 47 and right sidepiece 49 of housing 27 and serves to guide the lowermost fastener 15 inthe supply of fastener stock 13 into alignment with rear end 187 ofneedle 173 to be dispensed by ejection assembly 31. Specifically, noseinsert 183 comprises a curved guide surface 279 which contacts filament21 of the lowermost fastener 15 so as to guide the T-bar shaped secondend 19 of the lowermost fastener 15 into rear end 187 of hollow needle173. Nose insert 183 also includes a slot 280 which is sized and shapedto receive a portion of platform 231 of rocker 177.

It should be noted that nose insert 183 is shown as being a separatepiece which secured to housing 27 by one of screws 51. However, it is tobe understood that nose insert 183 could alternatively be integrallyformed onto housing 27 without departing from the spirit of the presentinvention.

Referring now to FIGS. 19(a)-(f), ejection assembly 31 functions in thefollowing manner. As shown in FIG. 19(a), indexing assembly 29 rotatablyadvances the lowermost fastener 15 from the supply of fastener stock 13to a first position at rear end 187 of hollow needle 173 in which theT-bar shaped second end 19 is disposed at an angle relative to thelongitudinal axis of bore 195. As shown sequentially in FIGS. 19(b)-(e),with the T-bar shaped second end 19 disposed as such, forwardadvancement of rocker 177 causes front edge 247 of blade 243 to pushT-bar shaped second end 19 along guide surface 279 of nose insert 183,nose insert 183 being shown in FIG. 15. As shown in FIG. 19(f),continued forward displacement of rocker 177 eventually moves fastener15 from the first position to a second position at rear end 187 ofneedle 173 in which the T-bar shaped second end 19 is disposed inparallel alignment with the longitudinal axis of bore 195. With theT-bar shaped second end 19 disposed at rear end 187 of hollow needle 173in parallel with bore 195, ejector rod 181 horizontally displacestowards front 35 of housing 27, thereby urging the T-bar shaped secondend 19 of fastener 15 through needle 173. Continued horizontaldisplacement of ejector rod 181 urges the T-bar shaped second end 19through bore 195 and out sharpened tip 193 of hollow needle 173, therebycompleting the ejection process.

It should be noted that, as second end 19 of fastener 15 is advancedfrom its first position to its second position, connector 25 whichattaches the second end 19 of the desired fastener 15 to the remainderof fastener stock 13 is urged against a corner 283 integrally formed inleft side piece 47. As second end 19 is further advanced forward,connector 25 severs, thereby separating fastener 15 from supply offastener stock 13.

Referring now to FIG. 20, trigger assembly 33 activates ejectionassembly 31 and indexing assembly 29 and is generally of the typedescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,123 to Russell. Trigger assembly 33comprises a trigger 285, a drive link 287, a pair of rollers 289, anidler link 291, a spring retainer 293, a compression spring 295 and aspring pivot 297.

Trigger 285 includes an integrally formed post 299, an elongated,ergonomically-shaped, finger actuation surface 301 and a foot 303. Post299 is sized and shaped to be fittingly disposed within a trigger postreceptacle 305 which is integrally formed in left handle piece 47 andwithin a trigger post receptacle 306 which is integrally formed in righthandle piece 49. Actuation surface 301 is elongated andergonomically-shaped to conform with the fingers of the user. Trigger285 is hollowed so as to form a trigger cavity (not shown) therewithin.

Drive link 287 includes a first end 307, a second end 309 and anelongated slot 311 formed at second end 309. First end 307 of drive link287 is pivotally mounted onto plunger 179 about dowel pin 273 which isdisposed through openings 271 in sidewalls 261 and 263. Pair of rollers289 are fixedly mounted onto trigger 285 within the trigger cavity abouta dowel pin 290 and are disposed so as to project within slot 311 formedin drive link 287. Accordingly, rollers 289 are capable of travellingwithin slot 311 in drive link 287.

Idler link 291 is an L-shaped member which includes a first end 313 anda second end 315. First end 313 is fixedly mounted onto the approximatemidpoint of drive link 287 about a dowel pin 317. In addition, a dowelpin 319 is fixedly mounted onto second end 315 of idler link 291 and issized and shaped to be fittingly disposed within a idler link receptacle321 formed into housing 27, thereby enabling drive link 287 to pivotabout dowel pin 319.

Spring retainer 293 is a generally T-shaped member which includes afirst end 323 in the shape of a post and a second end 325. Compressionspring 295 includes a first end 327 and a second end 329 and is sizedand shaped to be slidably mounted onto second end 325 of spring retainer293. Spring pivot 297 is pivotally mounted onto trigger 285 and isdisposed within the trigger cavity. As such, spring retainer 293 isdisposed such that first end 323 is fittingly disposed within a springretainer receptacle 324 formed in housing 27 and second end 325 isdisposed through a circular opening 298 formed in spring pivot 297. Withspring retainer 293 positioned in this manner, first end 327 ofcompression spring 295 contacts first end 323 of spring retainer 293 andsecond end 329 of compression spring 295 contacts spring pivot 297,thereby causing compression spring 295 to resiliently urge trigger 285outward until foot 303 on trigger 285 abuts against trigger stop 93formed into housing 27.

As will be described further below, trigger assembly 33 functions in thefollowing manner. Specifically, trigger 285 is resiliently urged bytrigger compression spring 295 outward until foot 303 on trigger 285abuts against trigger stop 93. Upon the application of an inward forceonto actuation surface 301, trigger 285 pivots about post 299 which, inturn, causes rollers 289 to apply an inward force onto drive link 287 asrollers 289 slide upward within slot 311. The inward force applied tosecond end 309 of drive link 287 causes drive link 287 to pivot in aclockwise direction about dowel pin 319. Upon release of the inwardforce, trigger compression spring 295 resiliently urges trigger 285outward until foot 303 on trigger 285 abuts trigger stop 93, therebyreturning trigger assembly 33 to its original position.

In use, tagger gun 11 functions in the following manner to dispenseindividual plastic fasteners 15 from supply of fastener stock 13. Withsupply of fastener stock 13 mounted onto attachment 53, the free end offastener stock 13 is fed through fastener track 80 until filament 21 ofthe lowermost fastener 15 is aligned within a notch 109 in indexingwheel 95. At this point, the user manually rotates indexing wheel 95 inthe clockwise direction using handle 119 until the lowermost fastener 15is advanced to a position at rear end 187 of needle 173 in which secondend 19 of fastener 15 is disposed at an angle relative to thelongitudinal axis of needle bore 195. With supply of fastener stock 13properly loaded onto tagger gun 11 in this manner, tagger gun 11 isdisposed in its initial position, as shown in FIG. 21(a). With taggergun 11 disposed in its initial position, trigger 285 is outwardly biasedby trigger compression spring 295 such that trigger foot 303 abutsagainst trigger stop 93 and rear wall 211 of rocker 177 abuts againstrear rocker stop 81.

The forward stroke of tagger gun 11 commences upon the activation oftrigger 285. Specifically, trigger 285 is inwardly urged, or compressed,thereby causing plunger 179 to advance forward. It should be noted thatbottom surface 89 of intermediate rocker stop 87 serves to downwardlypivot rocker stop 227, thereby temporarily locking together rocker 177with plunger 179. As a result, the forward advancement of plunger 179,in turn, causes the forward advancement of rocker 177. However, althoughrocker 177 and plunger 179 together advance forward, indexing slide 137remains stationary. Accordingly, rocker 177 and plunger 179 advancehorizontally forward, as shown in FIG. 21(b).

Continuation of the forward stroke of tagger gun 11 serves to alignsecond end 19 of the lowermost fastener 15 into alignment within bore195 of hollow needle 173. Specifically, with slide 137 stationary,rocker 177 and plunger 179 continue to advance forward. Upon forwarddisplacement of rocker 177, front edge 247 of blade 243 contacts thelowermost fastener 15, thereby urging the fastener 15 forward. As rocker177 urges the lowermost fastener 15 forward, filament 21 of thelowermost fastener 15 contacts curved guide surface 279 of nose insert183, thereby pivoting the T-bar shaped second end 19 of the lowermostfastener 15 to a position at rear end 187 of needle 173 in which secondend 19 is disposed into parallel alignment with bore 195 of hollowneedle 173. Rocker 177 continues forward such that front edge 235 ofrocker platform 231 projects into slot 280 of nose insert 183. It shouldbe noted that, once rocker 177 is positioned such that rocker pawl 227is disposed in front of front edge 91 of intermediate rocker stop 87,rocker pawl 227 biases up above top wall 209 of rocker 177, as shown inFIG. 21(c), thereby disengaging, or unlocking, rocker 177 from plunger179. As a result, rocker 177 remains stationary upon further forwarddisplacement of plunger 179.

Continuation of the forward stroke of tagger gun 11 serves to begin theejection of second end 19 of the lowermost fastener 15 from needle 173.Specifically, with rocker 177 and slide 137 stationary, plunger 179continues to advance forward within the plunger receiving cavity 219 inrocker 177. Continued forward advancement of plunger 179 causes ejectorrod 181 to protrude into hollow needle 173. As ejector rod 181 extendsinto hollow needle 173, ejector rod 181 contacts the T-bar shaped secondend 19 of the lowermost fastener 15 and urges second end 19 out throughhollow needle 173. Plunger 179 continues forward until front edge 268 ofplunger flange 267 abuts against rear edge 163 of slide tab 159, asshown in FIG. 21(d). It should be noted that ejector rod 181 extendsapproximately half-way down hollow needle 173 once plunger flange 267abuts against slide tab 159.

Completion of the forward trigger stroke of tagger gun 11 serves tocomplete the fastener ejection process. Specifically, with front edge268 of plunger flange 267 abutting against rear edge 163 of slide tab137, the final forward advancement of plunger 179 causes ejector rod 181to extend through needle 173 to forward end 191, thereby enablingejector rod 181 to urge second end 19 of the lowermost fastener 15 fromhollow needle 173. In addition, the final forward advancement of plunger179 urges tooth 153 of indexing slide 137 over and in front of thelowermost pin 111 on indexing wheel 95, as shown in FIG. 21(e). Itshould be noted that completion of the forward stroke of tagger gun 11causes trigger 285 to pivot inward to its maximum compressed position.

After ejection of the lowermost fastener 15, the rearward stroke oftagger gun 11 commences. Specifically, the user releases trigger 285,thereby enabling trigger compression spring 295 to outwardly urgetrigger 285. As trigger 285 moves outward, plunger 179 commencesmovement in the backward direction. It should be noted that, as plunger179 commences movement in the backward direction, rocker pawl 227 abutsagainst front edge 91 of intermediate rocker stop 87, thereby precludingrearward movement of rocker 177. As a result, plunger 179 continuesmovement backward within plunger receiving cavity 219 without rocker 177and indexing slide 137, as shown in FIG. 21(f).

Continued release of trigger 285 causes plunger 179 to continue in thebackward direction without rocker 177 and indexing slide 137. Plunger179 continues backward until the rear edge of sidewalls 261 and 263 ofplunger 179 abut against the inner surface of rear wall 211 of rocker177, as shown in FIG. 21(g). It should be noted that indexing slide 137remains in front of lowermost pin 111 on indexing wheel 95.

Continued release of trigger 285 causes plunger 179 to continue in thebackward direction. Accordingly, with the rear edge of sidewalls 261 and263 of plunger 179 abutting against the inner surface of rear wall 211of rocker 177, the rearward displacement of plunger 179 creates enoughforce to pull rocker 177 backward, rocker pawl 227 pivoting downward asrocker 177 moves backward. As can be appreciated, the downwarddeflection of rocker pawl 227 due to its contact against bottom surface89 of intermediate rocker stop 87 serves to, once again, temporarilycouple, or lock, together plunger 179 and rocker 177. Accordingly,plunger 179 and rocker 177 together move in the backward direction untilrear edge 237 of rocker platform 231 abuts against forward edge 161 ofslide tab 159. With rear edge 237 of rocker platform 231 abuttingagainst forward edge 161 of slide tab 159, continued rearwarddisplacement of rocker 177 and plunger 179, in turn, pulls indexingslide 137 backwards. As indexing slide 137 is pulled backwards, slidetooth 153 engages engagement surface 117 of the lowermost pin 111 onindexing wheel 95, as shown in FIG. 21(h).

Continued release of trigger 285 completes the rearward stroke fortagger gun 11. Specifically, continued release of trigger 285 causesplunger 179 and rocker to move backwards which, in turn, pulls slide 137backwards. The rearward displacement of indexing slide 137 causesindexing slide 137 to rotate indexing wheel 95 one position in theclockwise direction. Clockwise rotation of indexing wheel 95 rotatablyadvances the next individual fastener 15 from the supply of fastenerstock 13 down to a position at rear end 187 of needle 173 wherein secondend 19 of the fastener 15 is disposed at an angle relative to thelongitudinal axis of bore 195, thereby enabling for additional fastenerdispensing. It should be noted that, because the indexing process occursduring the rearward stroke of tagger gun 11, indexing slide 137 ispulled backwards entirely by the force provided from compression spring295, thereby limiting the manual trigger activation force required bythe operator, which is highly desirable.

Plunger 179 and rocker 177 continue displacement rearward until rearwall 211 of rocker 177 abuts against rocker stop 81, as shown in FIG.21(i). As such, the rearward stroke is completed and tagger gun 11 isdisposed at its original position. As can be appreciated, theaforementioned process can be repeated numerous times accordingly tocontinuously dispense individual plastic fasteners 15 from supply offastener stock 13.

It should be noted that tagger gun 11 comprises a relatively smallnumber of components in comparison to prior art tagger guns. Inparticular, tagger gun 11 utilizes only two compression springs. As aresult, it has been found that tagger gun 11 is relatively simple andinexpensive to manufacture, which is highly desirable.

It should also be noted that tagger gun 11 utilizes a relatively simpleejection and indexing process in comparison to prior art tagger guns. Asa result, it has been found that tagger gun 11 has a relatively smoothforward stroke and requires a low trigger activation force, therebysimplifying its usage, which is highly desirable.

It should further be noted that tagger gun 11 only indexes the nextfastener 15 in fastener stock 13 to a position at rear end 187 of needle173 upon completion of the forward stroke of the ejection of the priorfastener. As a result, it has been found that tagger gun 11 is lesssusceptible to jamming than prior art tagger guns, which is highlydesirable.

The embodiment shown in the present invention is intended to be merelyexemplary and those skilled in the art shall be able to make numerousvariations and modifications to it without departing from the spirit ofthe present invention. All such variations and modifications areintended to be within the scope of the present invention as defined inthe appended claims.

1. An apparatus for dispensing individual plastic fasteners fromfastener stock, each fastener comprising a flexible filament and atransversely disposed cross-bar at one end, cross-bars of adjacentfasteners being joined end-to-end by severable connectors, saidapparatus comprising: (a) a housing, (b) a needle mounted onto saidhousing, said needle comprising a front end, a rear end and alongitudinal bore, (c) an indexing wheel rotatably disposed within saidhousing, said indexing wheel rotatably advancing a fastener from thefastener stock to a first position at the rear end of said needle inwhich the cross-bar of the fastener is disposed at an angle relative tothe bore, (d) a rocker disposed within said housing for moving thecross-bar of the fastener from the first position to a second positionat the rear end of said needle in which the cross-bar of the fastener isdisposed in parallel with the bore, (e) an ejector rod disposed withinsaid housing for pushing the cross-bar of the fastener from the secondposition, through the bore and out the front end of said needle, and (f)an indexing slide disposed within said housing for rotatably advancingsaid indexing wheel, said indexing slide being separate from saidrocker.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said indexing slide isslidably disposed within said housing and comprises a tab and a tooth,said tooth being sized and shaped to selectively engage said indexingwheel.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plunger which isslidably disposed within said housing.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3wherein said plunger is coupled to a trigger assembly.
 5. The apparatusof claim 3 wherein said ejection rod is fixedly mounted onto saidplunger.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said rocker is slidablydisposed within said housing and comprises an elongated body.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 6 wherein said rocker comprises a blade which extendsout from the elongated body.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein saidrocker comprises a pawl which is pivotally mounted onto the elongatedbody.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said rocker comprises a flatplatform which extends out from the elongated body.
 10. The apparatus ofclaim 6 wherein said plunger is slidably disposed within the elongatedbody of said rocker.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said plungercomprises a flat top wall and a pair of spaced apart sidewalls whichextend down perpendicularly from the top wall, said top wall beingshaped to include an ejector rod slot which is sized and shaped toreceive a portion of said ejector rod.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1wherein said housing includes a cut-out portion which is sized andshaped to expose the majority of said indexing wheel.
 13. The apparatusof claim 1 wherein said indexing wheel comprises a top surface, a bottomsurface and a plurality of index pins formed onto the top surface. 14.The apparatus of claim 13 wherein a handle for manually rotating saidindexing wheel is formed onto the top surface of said indexing wheel.15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the bottom surface of saidindexing wheel is shaped to include a plurality of grooves.
 16. Theapparatus of claim 15 further comprising a spring biased detent which issized and shaped to selectively engage the plurality of grooves formedon said indexing wheel.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein saiddetent is releasably snap-fit into a detent receptacle formed in saidhousing, said detent comprising a pivotable catch arm for retaining saiddetent within the detent receptacle.
 18. The apparatus of claim 1wherein said housing is shaped to include a fastener track through whichthe cross-bar of each fastener in the supply of fastener stock passes,the fastener track being sized and shaped to retain the cross-bar ofeach fastener in the supply of fastener stock within said housing. 19.An apparatus for dispensing individual plastic fasteners from fastenerstock, each fastener comprising a flexible filament and a transverselydisposed cross-bar at one end, cross-bars of adjacent fasteners beingjoined end-to-end by severable connectors, said apparatus comprising:(a) a housing, (b) a needle mounted onto said housing, said needlecomprising a front end, a rear end and a longitudinal bore, (c) anindexing wheel rotatably disposed within said housing, said indexingwheel rotatably advancing a fastener from the fastener stock to a firstposition at the rear end of said needle in which the cross-bar of thefastener is disposed at an angle relative to the bore, said indexingwheel comprising a top surface, a bottom surface, a plurality of indexpins formed onto the top surface and a handle formed onto the topsurface, the bottom surface being shaped to include a plurality ofgrooves, (d) a detent disposed into said housing, said detent comprisinga tip which is sized and shaped to selectively engage the plurality ofgrooves formed in said indexing wheel, (e) a rocker disposed within saidhousing for moving the cross-bar of the fastener from the first positionto a second position at the rear end of said needle in which thecross-bar of the fastener is disposed in parallel with the bore, (f) anejector rod disposed within said housing for pushing the cross-bar ofthe fastener from the second position, through the bore and out thefront end of said needle, and (g) an indexing slide disposed within saidhousing for rotatably advancing said indexing wheel.
 20. The apparatusof claim 19 wherein said detent is releasably snap-fit into saidhousing, said detent comprising a pivotable catch arm for retaining saiddetent within said housing.
 21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein saidhousing includes a cut-out portion which is sized and shaped to exposethe majority of said indexing wheel.
 22. A method of dispensingindividual plastic fasteners through a needle, said needle comprising afront end, a rear end and a longitudinal bore, wherein each fastenerincludes a filament with an angularly disposed cross-bar at one end ofthe filament, said method comprising the steps of: (a) advancing a firstfastener from the fastener stock to a first position at the rear end ofthe needle in which the cross-bar of the first fastener is disposed atan angle relative to the bore, (b) moving the cross-bar of the firstfastener from the first position to a second position at the rear end ofthe needle in which the cross-bar of the first fastener is disposed inparallel with the bore, (c) pushing the cross-bar of the first fastenerfrom the second position, through the bore and out the front end of theneedle, and (d) after said pushing step, advancing a second fastenerfrom the fastener stock to a first position at the rear end of theneedle in which the cross-bar of the second fastener is disposed at anangle relative to the bore.